


take me so breathless

by meggiewrites



Series: like a river runs [2]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Annoying Siblings, Established Relationship, Football Fan AU, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, annoying best friends, no injuries this time, though mats is still a clumsy mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 15:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12684228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meggiewrites/pseuds/meggiewrites
Summary: Then Bene turned his head to look at him, and Mats couldn’t help but smile, the fondness in his stomach growing, mixing with anxiety at the thought of what he was planning to do – what if he said no?Or: Mats wants to propose to Benedikt. It's not exactly a case of Murphy's Law, but some things go wrong, nevertheless.





	take me so breathless

**Author's Note:**

> The first sequel to anything I've ever written! Mostly fluff, and Mats dropping things once again. At least 50% more Neuller than I had planned to include, but those two have a mind of their own.
> 
> As usual, a big thank you to my amazing beta [Khalehla](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Khalehla) ♥ - honourable mentions to Jay, Matt, Mocha and Ximena who also helped me figure this one out!

Mats was glad he’d been able to get the ring in time. He’d chosen the design he wanted ages ago, but secretly figuring out Bene’s finger size had been a whole other story. It was only a week before the actual date he wanted to propose that he’d finally entered a jeweller - who then had given him a fright saying he wasn’t sure if they could get the ring engraved before the weekend; Mats had been quite relieved when he’d finally been able to slip the small, blue, velvet box inside his pocket earlier that morning.

“It’s a miracle you didn’t lose it, you know. Hurry up, we’re gonna be late,” Jonas said, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of his chest.

Mats flipped him off while searching his wardrobe for his favourite coat. “Nice to see how much faith you have in me,” he huffed, only slightly offended being used to his brother’s teasing after living together for over twenty years. He shrugged the coat on, struggling to slip into his shoes.

Jonas simply raised a single eyebrow, which Mats didn’t grace with a response.

They were, in fact, late, and the area surrounding the Allianz Arena was already pretty crowded by the time they arrived; a sea of red, occasionally disrupted by a handful of people in yellow. Still, finding Thomas and Manuel wasn’t all that hard, since between the two of them, they were taller than almost everyone else surrounding them. On top of that, Thomas’ enthusiastic waving as soon as he spotted them was pretty hard to miss.

As always, Mats’ friend was wearing a red jersey on game days, this time underneath a leather jacket, his right arm firmly secured around Manuel’s waist. The fact that the latter was wearing a Bayern scarf though, was something Mats still hadn’t properly gotten used to.

(“I guess that’s what happens if you move to Munich to live with your Bayern-fan boyfriend,” Bene had once said to Mats before playfully poking him in the side, “Guess I can never move in with you, huh?”

Mats had pouted until his boyfriend had rolled his eyes and pecked him on the lips.)

Nevertheless, the look that Manuel sent Mats was probably even more scrutinizing than the one Mats had directed at him seconds before. “Really?”

Mats faltered, confused, before following the older man’s eyes and grinning when he found his glance fixed on the logo on his chest.

Manuel frowned some more, but then he suddenly let out a little giggle, his eyes crinkling. “Jesus, I can’t believe you’re gonna propose to Bene wearing a BVB jersey. During a Bayern vs. Dortmund game. Oh my god, that’s the best thing ever.”

Thomas snorted.

“Well,” Mats snapped, “I still can’t believe that you turned into a Bayern fan! You!”

Just as the older man wanted to open his mouth, probably to defend himself, Mats thought, mentally rolling his eyes, someone patted him on the shoulder before gently kneading it.

“Making a scene again, boys?”

Bene looked – beautiful. The warm autumn sun was reflecting on his hair, casting a golden shimmer on it. His skin was tanner than usual, the Italy sun apparently doing him good, and for a moment Mats had a flashback to when they’d first met, almost exactly where they were standing now. He winced internally when he recalled how it only happened because he’d elbowed Bene in the face, but he melted into his boyfriend’s arms when Bene pulled him into a tight hug, burying his nose in the blond’s neck.

“I hate long-distance relationships,” Mats mumbled, startling a chuckle out of his boyfriend, sighing a bit when he remembered that it’d been more than a month since they’d last seen each other, held each other.

“Well, hello to you to, Schatz,” Bene said, softly, before pulling away just enough to place a gentle, close-mouthed kiss on Mats’ lips, putting their foreheads together, their noses touching just a bit.

“Do I get a hug too?” That was Manuel, the spoilsport, causing Bene to separate from Mats, moving on to greet his best friend. Mats smirked when he saw Bene lifting an eyebrow at the other tall blond’s attire, as well.

“So you’ve fully converted now, I see?”

Manuel huffed, fiddling with his scarf, shrugging awkwardly. “Well. If it’s Bayern against Dortmund you know that I’d choose Bayern. Also, it belongs to Thomas.” (It didn’t, Mats knew. After all, he’d been there when Manuel had purchased the thing. Only after a lot of coaxing from a smirking Thomas, but still.)

Bene laughed, clapping him on a back before turning back to Mats, making a scene out of pointedly looking at his jersey, taking his hand in his own, intertwining their fingers. “Well, as long as I put up with him and his bee-loving heart, I guess I can’t complain about you. Shall we go?”

Only when they were already walking towards the stadium did Mats notice that Bene was wearing a royal blue sweater. When Mats shot him an incredulous look, he only smirked, shrugging with a nonchalance that looked so effortless and attractive it should be forbidden.

They were seated in the Bayern fan area, and Mats noticed many a fan casting him an unpleasant look as he sat down, but he couldn’t care less as he draped an arm around Bene’s shoulders, pulling his boyfriend into him until the blond’s head rested on his shoulder.

Bene let out a little sigh. “I missed you lots, as well,” he said, quietly.

The job in Italy had been a great opportunity for him, Mats knew, and would do a lot for his career. And even if he knew that Turin wasn’t much further away from Munich than Düsseldorf had been, it still felt further in his mind. Some days he envied Thomas and Manuel for being able to wake up together every morning. Envied Thomas that _his_ boyfriend had been offered a job in Munich, and that Manuel hadn’t hesitated a second before accepting the position; whereas Bene had been invited to join a project in Italy, moving him further away from Mats in the process.

He tightened his grip on Bene, as if he never wanted to let him go again, who in turn let out a chuckle. “Missed you enough, apparently, to agree watching this game with you. Even though I’m not able to tell which is the lesser of two evils here.”

Mats pulled away, pulling what he hoped looked like a mockingly-affronted face. “Don’t you dare insult my favourite and possibly-second favourite team like that!”

“Is it my fault that you have bad taste when it comes to football teams?” Bene laughed, and Mats felt the butterflies in his stomach stir at the sound. God, he missed him so much.

The game was interesting enough, but Mats somehow wasn’t able to focus on anything else than the warmth of Bene’s hand on his thigh. He didn’t even react when Dortmund scored and Jonas, on his right, claimed it had been offside. Then Bene turned his head to look at him, and he couldn’t help but smile, the fondness in his stomach growing, mixing with anxiety at the thought of what he was planning to do soon, so soon. What if he said no?

By the time halftime arrived, the teams were at a draw, though Mats had pretty much no idea how that had happened. His palms were sweaty with anticipation; he rubbed them against his jeans, but it didn’t really help. Jonas shot him a semi-concerned look. Thankfully, Bene didn’t have seemed to notice him acting odd; when glancing to the other side, Mats could see that he was just checking his phone. After a few moments, he slipped it into his pocket, getting up.

“I’m gonna go to the toilet real quick,” Bene said, letting his eyes wander over their little group “Do you guys want anything from the food stands?”

They all declined the offer for food, but as to be expected, Manuel asked for a beer and Jonas quickly followed his example. Usually, Mats would have joined them, probably, but now he was too nervous to even consider it.

As soon as Bene was out of earshot, Manuel leaned over Thomas. “So – can we see the ring?” he asked conspiratorially. Mats snorted. He’d asked Thomas to not talk to anyone about his proposal plans. _Of course_ he’d told Manuel.

Still, he nodded as he fiddled in his pocket to fish out the small box, irrationally relieved when he felt it was still there. When he looked back at Jonas, his brother already held up his phone, showing him a thumbs up.

“I only tasked you to film the actual proposal, you know,” he said, but Jonas only shrugged.

“It can’t hurt. And you never know what will happen.”

“So you’re planning to do it right now?” Thomas asked, his hand moving to cover Manuel’s with his own where the older man was supporting himself on his thigh, intertwining their fingers. Manuel turned his head to smile at him, and Thomas swiftly pecked his lips.

“Yeah. When he gets back, I’d reckon.” Mats felt his words get caught in his throat, his voice sounding coarse; his anxiety not getting better when confronted with the casual ease his friends shared their affection. Were Bene and himself like that, too? Did they miss out on properly developing their relationship by never spending more than a few days together (apart from some holidays) and sometimes not seeing each other for several weeks? God, he hadn’t been this nervous since his final exams at university.

He opened the box carefully, revealing a silver band with two stripes running horizontally around it close to the edges, a small round diamond inserted in the middle, framed by an intricate pattern.

“It’s nice,” Manuel said, leaning in to get a closer look, “I’d prefer a simpler design, but I think it fits Bene well.”

Mats managed a weak smile. He took the ring out of the box, turning it once in his hand.

It was in that moment when someone walked past in the row behind them, accidentally bumping into Mats’ shoulder, causing him to jerk. He could only watch in horror as the ring slipped out of his fingers. He heard it drop onto the ground with a slight ‘pling’, but as he immediately bent down to pick it back up, his heart racing, hoping it hadn’t been damaged, he couldn’t find it.

“Did he drop it?!” he heard Manuel exclaim, his voice a bit higher than usual. Thomas had already started to cackle, and when Mats looked up at Jonas, who was still filming him, his brother only raised an eyebrow at him, tongue tucked between his lips.

He crouched down again and so did Thomas – who was still laughing, but at least he was trying to help – hastily rummaging through everything they’d deposited underneath their seats (Thomas’ jacket, Jonas’ backpack, Bene’s big overnight bag), at one point almost bumping their heads together – but there was no ring. Panicked, he tried to glance at the floor of the row below them, trying to figure out if it’d had fallen down, but of course there was nothing to be seen behind the broad backs of the men in front of them, obscuring his view.

Manuel had stayed where he was, his cheeks slightly reddened, giggling nervously, occasionally throwing in an “have you checked there yet?” while Jonas, that little traitor, was still capturing every second of Mats’ desperation on film. And that’s how Bene found them, coming back down the stairs.

“What exactly is it that you’re doing? Can’t I leave you lot alone for ten minutes?” Bene looked genuinely puzzled albeit a bit amused, holding three cups of beer in front of his chest, staring down at them.

Mats hurried to stand up, nervously smoothing some wrinkles in his coat. “Um …” he didn’t know what to say. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Thomas grin widely as he got up again, probably taking delight in his misery; Manuel also seemed just barely able to hold back a snort. Mats ignored them.

His boyfriend questioningly raised his eyebrows at him, which Mats usually would have answered by wiggling his own and a one-liner, but at this point, he felt more discombobulated than ever before in his life. So of course, his mind went blank.

Bene turned to Jonas, probably hoping to get some answers out of him, as he was the only one who wasn’t acting suspicious, but Jonas only shoved the camera closer to Bene’s face in response. Bene pushed it away as if it was an irritating fly. Taking one look at his best friend, trying very hard to keep himself together while every now and then peeking down at his feet, and at Thomas who had no cool left at that point, having to support himself against Manuel’s shoulder so that he didn’t double over in laughter, Bene apparently decided that enough was enough.

“Okay, honestly. what is going on; you’re all acting very strange. Mats?”

Mats gulped. And yet, still, he came up with nothing. He pointed at the floor, which of course explained nothing, then put his hands into his pockets before sighing resignedly. He stared at the tip of this shoes, grinding his teeth together.

“Bene, I’m …”

“Ha! Ohmygod, I’m so _sorry_!!” Manuel exclaimed, in a way that was a bit too over the top, effectively interrupting Mats before he could finish his sentence, crouching down to pick something up from underneath his shoe before shoving it at Mats in his closed fist – who’d quickly turned around – pushing Thomas out of the way in the process. Manuel only opened his palm right in front of Mats’ chest; careful so Bene couldn’t see.

The ring looked tiny cradled in his big hand. The perfectionist in Mats immediately zeroed in on the few tiny scratches on the shiny metal (probably a small sacrifice, considering someone of the weight of Manuel Neuer could have done a lot more damage) but most of him just felt a sense of relief flush over him. Strange how your heart could hang itself onto a supposedly small material thing like that just because it cost a lot of money and held a lot of intrinsic significance.

Mats grabbed it, letting it slip into his pocket before swirling around; before Bene could figure out what it was. He had gotten closer, Bene had, and was almost peeking over Jonas’ shoulder. His brother was still filming Mats, so he quickly pushed Jonas aside, coming face to face with the man he would (hopefully) soon call his fiancé once again. He gave him a shaky smile, running a hand through his already pretty messy curls, before taking the cups out of Bene’s hands and handing them to Thomas – who of course passed one straight to Manuel. Manuel quickly took a big sip, looking a bit calmer immediately.

By now, Bene looked even more sceptical than before and had just opened his mouth to say something; but was then instead left gaping when Mats muttered “I swear it wasn’t planned like this” before promptly dropping down to one knee.

Mats could swear he heard someone let out an excited little squeal, but he didn’t check to figure out who, all of his attention focused on Bene, who had now put his hands in front of his mouth, his eyes getting wet.

He cleared his throat. Got lost in those beautiful eyes for a second. Cleared his throat again.

“Bene …” His voice wavered. “Benedikt Höwedes,” he started again, firmly, “We met in front of this very stadium more than three years ago now, when I quite literally punched you in the face because I was complaining about my shit job. Manu over there,” he nodded at the blond who scowled at him in return, “immediately was out to kill me. But you, you just smiled at me, even if I’d given you a bloody nose – you had the most breathtaking smile I’ve ever seen, and the second you turned to walk away I regretted not asking for your number. Luckily we met again that night, even if I first had to knock myself out and wake up in a hospital to come up with the courage to tell you that I’d like to see you again.”

He gulped, putting his hand in his pocket, touching the ring, not daring to take it out yet, afraid to drop it again.

“Every day after that felt brighter and happier. We didn’t see each other much, but somehow made it work with phone calls, meeting up on the weekends. I realized I was in love with you when I couldn’t fall asleep anymore without hearing you breathing over the phone. By sheer damn luck my best friend fell in love with yours too, forcing all of us to spend a helluva lot of time together whenever possible, and sometimes I wonder if we’d ever met if I had actually gotten that assignment like I wanted to. Probably not. So. I count myself lucky, that I get to call you mine, because you’re the most magnificent, kindest, smartest person I’ve ever met. And because you are probably already sick and tired of me waxing poetical ....”

He heard Manuel snort in the background, and Thomas threw in a “Yeah just get on with it!” and Mats shot them a dirty look before taking a deep breath, taking out the ring - slightly scratched, slightly imperfect, but still as beautiful - offering it to his partner in his open palm.

“Bene, will you marry me? Please?”

Bene still looked stunned, and for a split second Mats really thought he was going to get rejected (oh god, where had he gone wrong, that after three years he’d say no?) but then Bene laughed shakily, fondly, shaking his head before nodding then wiping a tear away from his eye.

“Of course I will!” Bene’s voice was trembling a bit and so did Mats’ hand when he slipped the ring on his fiancés finger, before taking it in his own, standing up and pulling Bene into a tight hug.

Mats let out a shaky laugh, and he could feel he was crying too, burying his nose in Bene’s soft hair (so soft, even if once there had been more of it) and Bene just chuckled, stroking the back of Mats’ neck before pulling away just enough to kiss him.

A feeling swept through Mats, a fire more intense than everything he’d ever felt. He didn’t even notice all the people around them, who finally picked up on what was going on, and had started applauding.

It was a messy kiss, wet and uncoordinated because neither of them could stop smiling. When they run out of breath, the touch of lips dissolving in happy chuckles, Bene pecked Mats on the cheek.

“So, what was all that about, when I came back?”

Mats cringed, glancing down at his shoes. They’d gotten a bit dirty.  He cleared his throat. “I dropped it. The ring.”

When he looked up again he was glad to find that Bene didn’t look angry, but he still felt a bit affronted by the amused grin on his fiancé’s face.

“Jesus Mats, that’s so typical,” Bene laughed. “Gosh, I love you so much.”

In that moment, head thrown back, hand on his tummy, he looked absolutely radiant. Mats could literally feel his heart eyes growing. With one more step, he was right in front of Bene again, had wrapped his arms around his legs, just underneath his butt, lifted him up and kissed him again, Bene’s hands coming up to frame his face.

He was breathing heavily when he pulled away after what felt like minutes, his arms aching. Wincing, he put Bene down again. The older man softly shook his head again before taking Mats’ hand in his. Only now did Mats register that the people surrounding them were cheering again, and it took him a moment that this time, it was because the players were returning to the pitch.

“Alright alright,” Jonas chuckled, tucking his phone back into his pocket, “that’s enough you two, break it up. I came here to watch a game, too.”

“Did you get it all?” Mats whispered while Bene got caught in a tight Manuel hug, positively engulfed by the man’s arms, mumbling congratulations into his shoulder.

Jonas raised his eyebrows. “What do you think? Of course, live and in colour, including your little mishap there.”

Mats shoved him, hard, causing his brother to almost fall over, but he could still feel his eyes crinkle. Despite almost fucking it up, everything felt perfect.

On their way back and with Bene tucked under his arm, Thomas tapped his shoulder, leaning in after quickly looking over his shoulders where Manuel was walking next two Jonas, apparently discussing the game. Mats couldn’t have joined them – he barely remembered a thing of it, all of the second half spent basking in his happiness and with looking at Bene every ten or so seconds.

“Congratulations – I can’t believe you actually pulled it off! Now, lads,” he threw an arm around Mats, “what do you think, what kind of ring _would_ Manu actually like?”

His answer was drowned in Bene’s booming laughter, and when he squeezed Mats’ hand a bit tighter, he could feel the cool metal of the engagement ring against his skin.

 

**Author's Note:**

>   * Manu initially didn't realize he was standing on the ring; but also, once he figured it out, you can be sure that he did not tell Mats first thing and let him suffer a bit instead.
>   * Also, he'd been dropping hints that he wants Thomas to propose to him for quite a while; one of those is included in this story.
>   * I _might_ write a Neuller follow-up to this.
>   * Title from yet another Bleachers song, this time, appropriately, called _Let's Get Married._
>   * I write FICTION about real people. None of this is intended to harm them or their reputation in any way
> 

> 
> Please ~~please~~ leave kudos and maybe a comment if you liked it! | [tumblr](http://manuelmueller.tumblr.com/)


End file.
